Ajit Doval meets China's Wang Yi: NSA praises 'upward trend' on India-China ties; hails border peace

NEW DELHI: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Tuesday met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, as India continues to iron out strains in relations with China.

During the meeting, Doval said last year's meeting between PM Narendra Modi and China's Xi Jinping has helped both nations to set a new trend and "we have profited a lot since then".

"There has been an upward trend. Borders have been quiet. There has been peace and tranquillity. Our bilateral engagements have been more substantial. And we are most grateful to our leaders who, in Kazan last October, were able to set a new trend, and we have profited a lot since then. The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we are working on," Doval said.

The Chinese foreign minister said the setbacks India-China faced "in the last few years were not in our interest".

"PM Modi and President Xi Jinping met in Kazan. We are happy to share that stability has now been restored at the borders. We welcome PM Modi's visit to China for the SCO. History and reality prove that a healthy relationship between India and China serves the long-term interests of both countries", Wang Yi, who is scheduled to meet PM Modi later in the day said.

On Monday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in New Delhi, stressing that differences between India and China must not turn into disputes.

Speaking at the meeting, Jaishankar said, “The fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is another major priority. I look forward to our exchange of views. Overall, it is our expectation that our discussions would contribute to building a stable, cooperative, and forward-looking relationship between India and China, one that serves both our interests and addresses our concerns.”

“This is very important because the basis for any positive momentum in our ties is the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. It is also essential that the de-escalation process move forward,” he said.